With Murray-Ryan Passing the House We're Basically in Virgin Territory

     Paul Ryan wasn't far wrong the other day when he said that this is the first bipartisan budget deal since 1986. It's also basically the first bipartisan deal he's ever achieved. What's amazing it's it's basically the first meaningful bill he's ever gotten passed-it passed overwhelmingly in the House yesterday and is expected to pass the House. 

     "The Republican-led House on Thursday passed a bipartisan budget deal aimed at mitigating painful spending cuts and avoiding more government shutdowns."

     "The vote was 332 to 94 with 169 Republicans and 163 Democrats voting for it."

      "The bill now goes to the Senate, where it is expected to pass, and subsequently be signed into law by President Barack Obama. If the bill becomes law, it would mark a major turning point after three years of paralyzing partisan disputes which culminated in the 16-day government shutdown last October. It means Congress would return to the normal budget process, if only for two years, rather than funding the government in incremental steps."

      "The modest deal, brokered by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), boosts discretionary spending from $967 billion to $1.012 trillion in 2014 and $1.014 trillion in 2015. It relieves $63 billion in across-the-board sequester cuts to defense and domestic programs, and is projected to lower the deficit over 10 years relative to current law."

     http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/no-more-shutdowns-house-passes-ryan-murray-budget-deal

     When you think about it it's true what he says about 1986. The media has this mythology-Krugman's Very Serious People (VSP)-of bipartisanship and the parties working together but the history of this actually happening is spotty. 

     We had seemingly more  bipartisanship for many years after the New Deal only because the parties were less partisan. You often saw conservative Democrats in an alliance with conservative Republicans against liberal Democrats-giving conservatives more pull than the pure head count of Ds to Rs. The parities had more deals then because they weren't so far apart in basic ideology. 

     What's interesting is what's happening now. As this is quite unprecedented how did this deal happen? I think Boehner is someone to look at. Three months ago who was willing to let us go down the road of a disastrous shutdown rather than displease the Tea Party and incur their wrath and a primary. Now he's basically telling them to go play in traffic.

     "There’s some choice hilarity here. Boehner says conservative groups “pushed” Republicans into the destructive government shutdown fight. You’d almost think he was some kind of passive, helpless onlooker, rather than, you know, the leader of House Republicans. Also, as you may recall, Boehner actively wanted Republicans to make a stand around the debt ceiling, which, if anything, was crazier than the shutdown standoff. Remember the “Boehner Rule“?"

    "That aside, Boehner has often tread far too carefully around the sensibilities of his right flank, and as a result has been frustratingly opaque about his actual views on matters from the government shutdown to immigration reform. Now he has finally told us what he thinks of these groups, and that’s a positive first step."

     "There are all kinds of reasons why this has happened. As Danny Vinink points out, Boehner now has incentives for refusing to bow to the Tea Party, from the fact that Paul Ryan is now on his side, to the need to prevent chaos governing from taking the focus off Obamacare. (Here’s a case where absolute GOP certainty that the health law will fail over time and shower the GOP with nonstop riches has produced positive results.) Meanwhile, Brian Beutler argues persuasively that, by refusing to budge in the last shutdown and forcing a GOP cave, Obama finally drove home to House Republicans the limits of what sabotage governing can accomplish, leaving Boehner with little choice but to tell the sabotage governing brigade to take a hike."

     http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2013/12/12/boehner-boils-over/

     I think what happened is that the GOP understands finally that shtudown and debt ceiling politics is not the way to go to political success. This is certainly a positive-the GOP may finally really understand that obstruction politics doesn't pay. Between this deal and the nuclear option the Senate Dems have exercised we're taking baby steps to uncharted-'virgin'- territory: an actually functioning government. A budget deal-rather than the CRs-where the spending actually rises, albeit just the first 2 years is a big step in that direction. 

    Paul Ryan's quote yesterday also suggests that the GOP finally gets it about  extreme obstruction:

     "That's the nature of compromise. In a divided government you don't get everything you want. But I think this bill is a firm step in the right direction. It's not perfect, it's a start," Ryan said on the House floor. "It gives us the added benefit of preventing Washington from this lurch from crisis to crisis. We're bringing stability to the budget process."

     "If Republicans want to achieve all their budgetary goals, the Wisconsin congressman said, "we're going to have to win some elections."

     http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/no-more-shutdowns-house-passes-ryan-murray-budget-deal